Team Project
by EiswolfZero
Summary: Bruce and Wally try to round up the other known heroes around the world. And it's not a moment too late. Sequel to "Misconception"
1. Project Team Up

**Aight guys, here goes nothing. Compared to Misconception this one is not finished and I write it as I go along with certain fixed points already put down as notes for me. Please tell me if this is somehow weird to read and I'll try to rewrite the whole chapter!**

 **All in all, I hope you have fun.**

 **Beta status: not beta-read**

* * *

The Batmobile continued to roll toward its programmed parking spot in the Batcave as Batman jumped out of it.

"Welcome back," Alfred greeted him. A tray with a glass of water and sandwiches in his hand.

Bruce nodded at the older man while he took his cowl off and opted for the glass of water. "Is Wally home?"

"Master Wallace left an hour ago."

One of Bruce's eyebrows went up as he regarded Alfred. "You sound...put out?" It wasn't uncommon for Wally to come home and leave again. The Speedster was always ready when duty called.

Or when he got bored enough. Hardly something to get mad about.

"He left to go and do his dirty laundry."

Bruce couldn't help but sigh as he walked up to the computer and sat down.

"I thought you had said you talked to him," Alfred accused him as he followed, placing the tray with the sandwiches near Bruce.

"I did. I talked to him and he said _fine_ but I'll talk to him again." This was probably the only point Alfred and Wally kept fighting about. That two grown men could get this stubborn about dirty clothes was beyond Bruce.

There was no reply except for the retreating sound of steps on the stone ground as Alfred left.

Left alone once more, Bruce opened several files while making a mental note to talk with Wally later. For now he used the time to further his research on the other well known vigilantes around the world. Surprisingly there weren't that many.

He typed away on the files for about half an hour when a sudden gust of wind was his only warning that Flash suddenly stood behind him. Bruce masked his surprise quiet well while he continued to type. "Hey."

"I didn't trigger any alarms and yet I couldn't surprise you." Wally all but pouted behind him.

"You'll have to do better than that, then," Bruce nodded. If only Wally knew, he really needed to work on his silent alarms.

"Ah, there's always next time," Wally smiled and leaned against the console, without touching any buttons, and removed his cowl. "Your little project?"

Bruce nodded as he finally turned to Wally and startled somewhat. "What happened to your face?" One side of it was black and blue. As if the other had taken a very bad beating.

He stood up as Wally took one of the sandwiches and shrugged. "I tripped."

"You tripped? How?" It wasn't uncommon for Wally to trip but this was the first time that it must've been bad enough to hurt him that much. Bruce had never seen him like this before.

Fighting the urge to grab Wally by the shoulders, Bruce opted to gently take the other's chin between his fingers to take a good look at it. Without disturbing Wally in taking the next sandwich.

"Yeah. I had this weird headache for about a second," Wally shrugged again. "It made me dizzy for a moment and I tripped."

"Has this happened before?" Bruce frowned. Wally had never complained about any headaches. So far he hadn't even known if Wally could get these due to his metabolism.

Another shrug followers and Wally smiled charmingly at him, which must have hurt the bruises. "I probably didn't eat enough. It will be gone tomorrow."

He sighed and let Wally's chin go. "It's not about when I won't see it again and you know that…"

"Bruce..really. I'm okay. Don't worry?"

"I always worry."

"Worrywart then," Wally quirked a smile and ate the last sandwich. Bruce did manage to slightly smile back at that.

"I guess."

Sitting back down, Bruce reluctantly turned back to the computer. Maybe he should get some salve to help Wally's bruises but...any pain killing effects would be lost on him. Sometimes he couldn't even imagine the life Wally lead.

He stared right at the screen as he mused over that, registering in the corner of his eye that Wally stared at it as well.

"So _that's_ gonna be the Justice League, huh?"

"We're _not_ calling it that." It was a silly name. No one in their right mind would use that.

"And yet you named the project like that. I knew you would like it," Wally beamed at him as he shook his head.

"It's just a placeholder."

"Yeah right," Wally snorted and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If that were true then it would have a random project name and number."

Bruce just sighed instead of replying. Maybe if he just..ignored it and moved on. "I think we're ready to talk to them. I've checked them and everything seems fine."

At that Wally tilted his head to the side, capturing Bruce's gaze. "Checked them? What's there to check besides their heroic deeds? Please don't tell me you found out their identities," Wally suddenly said.

It seemed the following silence was answer enough. "That's not nice...it's more like...rude?"

Wally just knew him to well. Shaking his head, he fully turned towards the speedster. "A necessary evil. I don't want a repeat of last time."

"Last time you searched for a criminal who turned out to be a hero. Not for a hero who turned out to be a criminal."

"Either way," Bruce said without any good reasoning behind it. He just felt better knowing who was who. Especially after the thing with Wally. "I think we should contact Superman and Wonder Woman first. You'll take Superman," he said as he tried to steer the topic away from his past failure of a stake out.

It brought them together, didn't it?

Wally just blinked at him confused. "What? Me and Superman? Why? Like..don't get me wrong but isn't Superman as much of a deal as Batman? You should probably talk to him."

Bruce shook his head. "He seems more like a day time hero. You'll have it easier."

"Bruce," Wally snorted with laughter in his eyes. "Everyone's a day time hero compared to you."

The right corner of his mouth twitched with the need to smile himself, which would only aid Wally in undermining his reasoning. "I'll talk to Wonder Woman and you'll talk to Superman. It's not that bad. You're good with people."

"Compliments will get you nowhere," he scoffed at Bruce. "Thought...kisses might."

This time he couldn't hide the slight grin and he glanced at Wally. "It would have been my first choice but the colors on your face keep me from doing so." It was actually fascinating to watch, the way Wally's giant bruise subtly changed colors. But Bruce was aware that Wally _felt_ it too. All of the time.

It was a rather perverse fascination for Bruce since he didn't want Wally to be in pain.

"Pshh," Wally made a hand gesture to show it was nothing. "It's hurting anyway. Kissing or not. I'd prefer kissing you."

A pleasing warmth spread in Bruce's chest, as it always did when Wally preferred to spend time with him and actually said it out loud. Coming from the Speedster it always sounded so genuine. One of Wally's many qualities, in his eyes.

"I know," he smiled just a bit more gentler, compared to the grin before. "Me too but..maybe later."

"Definitely later," Wally decided for them and threw his arms around Bruce, giving him a peck on his cheek.

Bruce just hummed and turned back to the screen before he closed the four files. "Let's go upstairs."

With that Bruce stood up and took Wally's hand to get some food into him.


	2. Superman

Wally had passed through Metropolis quite a few times before but had never really taken a good look at it. He usually just came by as he stretched out his legs.

Today was different though. He was on a mission. The real problem was to carry it out, seeing how he was incapable of finding Superman.

Bruce had had the glorious idea of standing on a roof and just calling his name until Superman would show up.

Wally had felt stupid after four tries. See if Bruce would do it. Somehow he doubted that he would find Batman on a roof shouting for someone. Ever.

At least the image of it kept him entertained for about five seconds.

So he had ditched the genius plan and went to search out some crimes. He would have to stumble across Superman that way at some point. Right?

Three hours later and Wally was ready to go home. It was time to get some food and Superman had never shown up. Maybe he wasn't in the city today.

He stretched himself long, ready to go home and tell Bruce that they'd have to wait for the next day.

"Hey," a voice drifted from slightly above.

Startled he turned around and saw Superman hovering there, a friendly smile on his face.

"Hey," Wally grinned back and put his hands on his hips. "There you are. It's way harder to find you then I thought."

Superman gently flew down and landed beside him on the roof. "I must admit that I took the morning off when I noticed you handling everything."

Wally pursed his lips at that but the other had at least the mind to look a bit guilty about it.

"Ah well..can't say I mind. It was fun seeing the police react everytime I showed up."

Superman actually chuckled at that and shook his head. "I can imagine….how can I help you?"

"Ah yes. You see I'm here with a proposal...well, I mean an idea that you might like and..god," Wally suddenly sighed under the curious glance Superman gave him. "I can't do it like this. Mind if we get something to eat and chat?"

An easy smile was his reply. "Only if you let me buy you something. You did give me time to sleep in. If you wait here I'll get something."

"Sounds like a plan if I've ever heard one!"

Superman floated away, toward god knows where while Wally waited. If this was how Superman was all the time then it would be a nice chat. He seemed overly friendly. Something Wally could relate to.

It didn't take too long for Superman to return and hand over a carbonated drink and a big burger. "Thanks! You're the best," Wally smiled brightly at took it.

They both settled against the entrance to the roof and enjoyed their small meal. Well, Supes did. Wally was done the moment he opened his mouth.

"So..you're idea," Superman started again.

"Right. It's more Bats' idea but I like it, which is why I'm here." God he sounded like those stupid hosts on the TV, always dragging out the thing they meant to say.

"To make it short, we want to team up. Permanently I mean. As in...we stay in contact and help each other out should we need any help." He let that settle for a moment and continued as Supes nodded for him to go on.

"There are a few others we want to ask as well. Of course you don't have to decide now, in fact all I'm saying today is that you should think it over. In about a week, next Saturday, we would all meet up."

Taking a sip from his soda, Wally waited for some kind of reply. It was much to take in after all. He had been blown away by this at first too.

"I like it...it's a good idea. I'll think about it," Supes smiled with a nod and Wally smiled back, finishing his soda in seconds.

"Great!" This had been easier than he thought it would be. Neat. Supes wasn't anything like he had feared he would be. Mainly more intimidating, what with the guy being well known and all that.

"You say Batman came up with this?" Superman suddenly asked and Wally nodded. "Difficult to believe. If someone had made me guess I'd have said it would have been your idea."

"Oh?" Now that was interesting. He had never really branched out and Wally was pretty sure Barry hadn't either. Except for GL. "What makes you say that?"

"Because you're social," Supes smiled and Wally understood that he didn't mean to offend Bruce. "And because I once stepped foot in Gotham and Batman all but threw me out."

At this he had to blink several times. "I..uh..what?" Bruce had thrown out Superman?!

Supes didn't seem to be mad though. More like amused. "Something about no meta humans in his city and all that...but I can see that he changed his opinion on that…"

The expression Supes gave him was a bit weirder than before and he had to stop himself from blushing. There was nothing to blush about. "I've uh..never had a problem and..well…"

"So the rumors are true?"

This conversation was quickly turning into something else. He was losing control over it. "Rumors?" It would be smarter to hear those rumors first before he started commenting on them.

"You and Batman working together more often than not." Supes tilted his head to the side. It was looking way more innocent then it had any right to look. "Word travels fast and criminals even faster. I actually had a few from Gotham who apparently couldn't take the team up."

Team up. Yes. That was official. Well, it wasn't but it would be the closest it would get to official. "Yes," Wally simply confirmed. "We met a while ago and did...a trial of Bats' idea. The team up thing I mean." He was a genius. Absolutely amazing.

"I see," Supes nodded and didn't seem to be entirely convinced. But he did seem ready to drop it. Thankfully.

Superman finished his own meal while Wally patiently stood there. It was already past lunchtime so there wasn't much to do for the rest of the day. He didn't need to be anywhere except at home.

Tapping his foot rapidly, he caught Supes looking at it. "You're really fast, huh?"

"Yep," Wally smiled back and stopped the movement.

"How fast?"

He couldn't help but grin at the question. "Always faster than you."

Supes smiled back at him and inclined his head. "There's only one way to find out."

"Hah, if you want to embarrass yourself."

"I won't...not badly anyway," Supes chuckled. "If I'm allowed to fly?"

So he flew faster than he ran? Sounded like a good challenge to him. "You're on. When and where?" Oh this was exciting! It had been ages since he last ran against someone. Against Barry. Who had been the faster one.

"Now? If you're evening is free."

Right now? Well, now that he was in the mood… "Yes! We should find a nice street to start on and-"

"Flash," his communicator came to life.

"Oh wait a second," he said to Supes and tapped his earpiece. "Hey."

"A hostage situation in Central has been reported over the radio. Do you want me to take care of it?"

"Nah, I'm good. I've talked to Supes so I'll head over to Central. Thank you." He turned back to the other, who's eyebrows had climbed up quite high. Was it because of the way he talked to Bats?

"Supes?" Superman asked then.

"Ah..oh..," Wally floundered with a nervous grin. Right. "Yeah..like Bats? Sorry?"

But Supes shook his head, still at ease. "I like it..don't worry."

Relieved, Wally's smile became easier too. "I'm glad...but I really gotta go now. Hostages," he simply explained to which Supes nodded. "See you in a week..hopefully."

Giving one mock salute, Wally speed away.

* * *

Wally startled awake as Bruce crawled into the bed, coming to a rest beside him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Bruce murmured into the dark room and settled on his back.

"N'...didn't wake me," Wally lied as he attached himself to Bruce's arm, resting his head against the shoulder. "Long night?" He was still slightly slurring, not willing to completely wake up just yet but they hadn't seen each other the whole day.

Bruce made a grunt that might've meant anything but Wally was content enough to take it as it was. It had obviously been a long night.

"Wally?" Bruce asked softly, trying to gauge if he was still awake.

"Mh?"

"I want to take you out this week."

He couldn't help but snort. "You don't have to date me anymore."

"I'd like to treat you to something." It was difficult to make out Bruce's mood between the darkness and their whispers.

Maybe it was because Wally wasn't really looking.

"You treat me all the time. You pay for most of my food." Something he still felt bad about. Of course he enjoyed not feeling like starving any second but Wally knew how expensive the amount of food for him was. Most of his own money still went towards feeding himself.

A groan came from Bruce and his whole body twitched. Bruce probably wanted to touch him and Wally just clung more to the arm. "I just want to treat you to a nice evening...and show that I'm with you."

Ah. Bruce wanted to make them official. "That's a good idea?"

"Why shouldn't it be?"

Wally frowned in the cover of the darkness, breathing in deeply. "You're famous."

"So?"

Wally didn't reply and curled up against the other.

"Wally...we don't have to, but it doesn't matter to me. Okay?"

"...okay," he agreed. If that's what Bruce wanted and wouldn't regret then Wally could endure one evening in a restaurant. "When?"

"Thursday, if nothing comes up."

"Thursday…," he echoed and nodded against Bruce's shoulder. "Sleep?"

He could almost hear Bruce grin as he too settled down to sleep. "I doubt you're up for more. Sleep."

Wally just huffed and opted to not move in his sleep so Bruce would wake up way too hot, thanks to his elevated body heat. Served him right.


	3. Green Lantern

During the week Bruce usually didn't wake up with Wally in his arms. Usually he took the time to catch up on sleep, when he didn't need to be anywhere, and Wally needed to be at work.

But that's what he woke up to today and Bruce knew from the way the sun streamed into the room that Wally was late.

He sighed and closed his eyes again, patting Wally with a hand. "Wally, wake up." He received some murmuring for his effort. "You're late."

A lazy snort followed. "Late?" Wally slurred sleepily. "How late?"

Bruce couldn't suppress the small quirk of his lips, despite Wally not seeing it. "You start in five minutes…"

At first there was no reply and Bruce figured he had to wake Wally up again if it weren't for the sudden rush of movements and his arms being speedster-less.

Cracking his eyes open again, Bruce watched as Wally got ready in the bathroom, zipping around and doing several things at once. "Don't forget to eat," Bruce reminded him.

"No time," Wally said as he stood beside the bed and gave Bruce a peck on his cheeks, grinning down at him with windswept hair. He never did that.

Bruce just grunted in response. "Of course you do. Raid the kitchen." Which earned him a huff and a soft _whoosh_ as Wally speed away.

How someone like Wally could even think about skipping any kind of meal was beyond Bruce. At least now he was there to remind his boyfriend to not forget about it.

Content that Wally wouldn't go hungry to work Bruce rolled over and went back to sleep.

* * *

Standing on a roof in plain daylight felt unnatural to him. His dark suit blended in perfectly with the night but it stood out against the city during the day.

At least he wasn't in Gotham.

Bruce had tracked Green Lantern's movements the past few days, since the hero didn't seem to focus his efforts on just one city like they did. But everyone fell into patterns at one point and Green Lantern didn't seem to be an exception. All he needed now was Wally.

The speedster had once mentioned that he knew _GL_. The only problem was that Green Lantern never really showed up in Central to confirm this. His research contradicted what Wally said but he wouldn't ignore him that easily.

However when it came to Wally, facts sometimes didn't mean anything. Which was why he opted to seek Green Lantern out together. It was best to get out of the way whatever was wrong here.

Bruce stepped to the edge of the roof and surveyed the city, searching for a green light in the sky. The hero was either late or not showing up.

The sound of wind suddenly moving in a different direction reached his ears and he turned just in time for Wally to put his arms around Bruce's neck and kiss him.

Smiling, he let Wally indulge and kissed back. They weren't in Gotham after all.

Wally drew back and smiled at Bruce, turning to look over the city. "Did you find him yet?"

He mimicked his other and surveyed the city once more. "He's probably just late."

"I can check the other end of the city?"

"No, we will wait." The chance of Wally spotting Green Lantern and engaging him in a talk without Bruce was too high. He trusted Wally but there were too many inconsistencies between his research and Wally's tale.

Wally gently took his hand, drawing another small smile from him, as they kept staring at the sky.

"Did you hear?" Wally asked curiously but continued to look out.

"Hear what?"

"That all around the world the higher ups are talking about shutting down weapons of any kind."

Yes. Bruce had followed these news as well. A strange development, considering that humans never liked giving away power. Even if it was just the power to threaten. Something strange was going on.

But he had thought Wally would like these news. "What do you think about it?"

Wally's fingers twitched in his hand and he fidgeted on his feet before replying. "It's weird. I mean, it might just be the step in the right direction but...it's still weird. I can't explain why. "He shrugged and briefly glanced at Bruce who continued to look ahead.

There was no time to respond as they spotted the green light and Wally let go of Bruce's hand. "There," he pointed out and vibrated on the spot. "I'll go and get his attention."

"Flash, wait we-," but he was already gone, zipped over to another roof and waving up at the green hero. With a sigh Bruce took out his batclaw and followed after him.

It took him almost a minute before his feet touched the roof upon which Wally stood and Green Lantern hovered above, having been drawn closer by the Speedster's call.

Bruce could immediately see a change in Wally's posture. It wasn't as open as he was used to. Walking closer to them, he could just make out the last few words from Wally.

"-not Green Lantern."

Green Lantern hovered before them, giving Bruce a confused look before turning to Wally.

"This ring says otherwise." Lantern's tone wasn't hostile, just put out.

"I know GL," Wally almost ground out. It was strange seeing him act this way. "And you're not him."

"Listen," _GL_ started again. "You're probably confusing me with someone else. I'm Green Lantern, protector of sector-"

"Sector 2814, I _know_." Tense silence followed. Neither of them knew what to say to Wally. Apparently he did know a Green Lantern but not _this_ one.

"Where's Hal?" The question had been asked in a tired, small voice. So unlike the anger before. Lantern obviously knew who he was talking about.

"You know him?"

"He's family," Wally shot back, still waiting for a reply while Bruce's back got even more rigid. Family was a big topic for Wally, not unlike for him but in a different manner.

It was time to step in. "You're not related." By the look Wally gave him it might have been the wrong thing to say.

"Not by blood." No. Of course not. Blood relations didn't mean anything compared to build family bonds to him.

Wally turned back to Lantern who seemed to have picked up on the seriousness of it all. "He's in space," he said, looking out for Wally's reaction. "For the next few years. I don't know when he'll be back...sorry."

Something changed again. Bruce could see Wally fighting for words but nothing came out and before he could say anything to him Wally was gone.

The tension slowly ebbed away and Bruce turned to Green Lantern. He'd have to follow Wally after this. Had to do damage control. "I have a proposal to make."

"Will he be alright?"

The question briefly threw him off.

He slightly inclined his head. "Yes. I'll go after him in a minute. The proposal is about forming a team where-"

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

Irritation bubbled in his stomach. "What is?"

"Us, working together." Lantern nodded in the direction Wally had most likely vanished in.

Bruce couldn't imagine anyone having problems working together with Wally. What Green Lantern had just seen wasn't the norm.

"He will feel guilty in less than an hour. Don't worry about it." Wally had a strong sense of self and disliked judging people based on nothing. He would probably already feel bad about it.

He waited to see if Lantern had more to say and when nothing came he continued. "There's a meet up next Saturday, the other's we asked will show up as well."

"..where?"

"Outside of Gotham. We will communicate the details later this week," he said as he took out a small communicator, handing it over to Lantern who took it. "Think about it. You don't have to…"

Green Lantern nodded and put the communicator away and started to hover upwards.

"Don't let what happen earlier shadow your decision," Bruce added as an afterthought. "I know Flash. Next time he'll apologize." If not even earlier than that.

Lantern didn't reply and simply flew up, continuing his round.

Bruce moved to the edge of the roof, calling Batwing and Alfred at the same time.

"Did Wally show up a few minutes ago?" Bruce asked when Alfred picked up.

" _No, at least not to my knowledge."_

Then he must have gone to his flat. "Alright. We won't be coming home today then."

" _Of course. I'll keep the food in the fridge for Master Wallace."_ He could already hear Alfred moving around.

"Thank you. Have a nice night Alfred," Bruce said as he entered the Batwing, setting course to Central.

It didn't take as long as it felt to reach the familiar building of Wally's flat.

He entered through the bedroom window, taking off his cowl immediately. Making quick work of the batsuit, Bruce changed into something more comfortable. They sometimes, rarely, spent time in the flat, which was why there were already a few of Bruce's outfits in the closet.

Walking into the living room Bruce found Wally exactly where he thought he would be. Wedged in between his couch and the backrest of said couch. A habit the Speedster seemed to take to in times of emotional distress. Whether it was to suffocate or ground himself Bruce wasn't sure of. He hadn't asked.

Without saying anything he moved closer and gently put a hand on Wally's shoulder.

Wally just made a sound which Bruce would've classified as sad.

Sighing, Bruce scooted up on the couch and put his arms around Wally, spooning him from behind. The couch was hardly big enough and he felt as if he would fall off any second.

For the sake of Wally he would endure however.

"I'm sorry," Wally mumbled into the fabric. His voice sounded like he had cried.

Bruce hummed and just pulled him closer. "It's alright," he murmured into Wally's hair. "Nothing bad happened. I dealt with it."

Neither said anything after that, the silence heavy. Bruce could feel Wally trying to say something but it seemed as if he hadn't found the right words yet. So he let him ponder on it.

After minutes Wally shifted somewhat, turning his head slightly upwards to get some air. "Why is everyone always leaving me," he suddenly said in a hushed voice. "He didn't even come to say goodbye...he...Hal just _left_."

If what Wally had said earlier, when they had met Green Lantern, had been the truth, then this Hal seemed to be his last remaining... _family_ , at least what Wally considered family. Bruce couldn't imagine how it would feel if Alfred just vanished out of the blue.

"He's not gone forever," Bruce argued. Green Lantern didn't know _when_ this Hal would come back but he was out there. He would have to return at some point.

"He might as well be," Wally almost scowled, hurt radiating from his very being to which Bruce replied with squeezing him briefly.

"He will come back and then you can give him a piece of your mind." Maybe the prospect of speaking his mind would cheer Wally up. At least somewhat.

"I doubt he would say hello if he didn't even say goodbye."

"I'll keep an eye out for anyone returning from space then." It was an easy promise. He had a few satellites up there. Letting them look for one more thing was hardly an inconvenience.

Wally didn't reply to that and stared at the ceiling, blinking a few times. He opened his mouth as if to say something but stopped. "..oh-,"

Suddenly he tensed up and groaned. After two seconds of this he went lax.

"Wally?!" Bruce quickly let go of the other to gently turn his face towards him, mindful of the angle. "Wally, hey…," he said once more concerned.

Green eyes blinked open, the pupils blown wide before shrinking back as if he had a concussion. They stopped dilating again when they reached a normal state.

"Huh?" Wally looked confused and Bruce put a hand through the red hair.

"You just fell unconscious. What happened? Are you hurt?" Bruce could barely keep the urgency out of his voice. Someone just didn't simply fall unconscious on a couch from nothing.

"Uh..headache again. It's gone," Wally said and meant to sit up but Bruce didn't let him.

"Again? Like that one time?"

"Yeah..like that one time..or the times after that."

" _Other_ times?" There was something wrong with Wally and he hadn't told him? "When?!"

"Every day. Once."

Bruce was silent at the admission and Wally had the decency to look like a fool. "It's not that bad…"

Of course it was bad. "The first time you had it you came to me with a bruised face. You call that nothing?" Bruce's nostrils flared in preparation to take control over this situation. He was done letting Wally be if the other couldn't take this serious. "We're going to do blood tests. For real this time. Understood?"

Wally pursed his lips, his hands playing with his shirt. "Not today?" He gave Bruce a wide eyed look, his eyes still rimmed red and his hair disheveled. He looked tired.

Bruce could do nothing but sigh. Maybe he would relinquish _a bit_ of control. "Tomorrow then. No excuses. I'll order some food." With that he petted Wally's head once more and stood up, leaving the speedster on the couch.

"We're going to stay here?"

"Yes, for tonight." Tomorrow they would go home and deal with this.


	4. Hawkgirl

"I'm heading over to France now," Wally informed Bruce as he made his way over the water, his feet creating a soft swishing noise alone the way. He had always liked this about running on water.

" _She's been sighted in the northern part of it. You should find her somewhere around there."_

Nodding, even if Bruce couldn't see it, Wally steered a bit to the left, correcting his route. Of course he didn't know where everything was for sure but he had always made it to his destination. Maybe it was Speedster luck.

" _Any headaches today?"_

"No. Not yet anyway." He couldn't help but hum as he skidded to a halt somewhere in France, looking around for giant bird wings. "Did you find anything in my blood?" It had been a busy day so they hadn't gotten to talk yet and it didn't help that he still needed to find Hawkgirl.

" _Everything in your blood is within reasonable parameters."_ The _for you_ remained left unsaid. " _You shouldn't have headaches. Unless it's the stress causing them?"_ Bruce sounded concerned again, something he found really cute but unnecessary. He felt fine.

"Nah," Wally snorted. "I usually handle stress quite well. This wouldn't be the first time otherwise." His life had always been kind of busy. Sure, he made it busy himself, but that's how he liked it.

"Anyway. I'm here. I'll tell you how it went later." Wally started running again, already done with the conversation for now and looking for a different place to eventually spot the hero. His blood test had turned out fine then. Great.

" _Of course. I'm attending a meeting for the next two hours or so."_

Nodding to himself once more, Wally came to an abrupt halt when blinding pain appeared behind his eyes. "Oh…," he groaned and nearly tumbled forward, catching himself somehow. Or not so great. His head felt like it was going to split open and he just _knew_ he was going pass out again. And then he would lie in the middle of god knows where and-

" _Flash?"_

He meant to reply but something collided with his back and he would have fallen over for real this time, if it weren't for the strong arms around his torso. And the ground disappearing underneath him.

"Oh god!"

" _Flash what happened?!"_

"Oh my god let me down!" Wally squealed, holding onto the arms around his torso for dear life. Literally. The ground was already so far away.

" _Wally!"_

"I won't let you fall," came a feminine voice from above and he dared to glance up. Black hair was blowing in the wind. Her costume was familiar enough to recognize Wonder Woman.

"I…," Wally started, unsure what to say in the face of apparent death. Death of falling. Instead he concentrated on clinging to her.

" _I tracked your position. I'm on my way."_

"What..I..no. No it's alright. Sorry. Wonder Woman picked me up." And scared the shit out of him in the process. "I'm alright. Really. Just...go to that meeting."

He could actually feel over the comm how badly Bruce didn't want to do that. But a sigh told him that he would. _"Call me._ _ **Any**_ _time."_

"Promise." A simple tap to the ear ended the call from his side. With no Bruce to talk to, Wally turned his attention up again, weakly moving his legs. "Uh...any chance we'll land soon?"

Wonder Woman looked down at him, nodding. "Yes, over there."

They steered towards the roof of a factory. Plenty of space to land on and Wonder Woman was surprisingly gentle as she placed him on the ground. Wally had never felt this much affection for a roof before but here he was. Ready to get on his knees. But he wouldn't. He did have a certain reputation.

"Not that I don't appreciate the lift but ...uh..why?" First things first. Not even Supes would just lift him up for the heck of it. He was sure of that. Or hoped so.

"You stopped in the middle of the road. A car nearly crashed into you," she explained. She had a really nice voice for a fierce warrior princess. They had never met before this but Wally had seen videos on the Batcomputer.

"Oh...thanks!" How scary. He had been that close to getting hurt and hadn't even noticed? Maybe..maybe these headaches were really something serious. He'd have to tell Bruce later.

That decision made, it was time to move to the second thing. "Wonder Woman? You didn't happen to see Hawkgirl around?" The odds here were quite small but...what had been the chances of her being here anyway? Just as small.

The princess smiled at him and looked to the left of them. "You're lucky. I was just about to meet her too. Come." She stepped forward again, to which Wally replied with a step backwards.

"No offence but I'll run after you! I..me and heights aren't that good of a pair." Wally chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. Hoping that she would understand.

She just smiled at him and nodded, flying off and clearly expecting him to follow. Which he did. It was easy really, she flew high enough that he could see her and all he had to do was watch out to not run into anything.

They stopped halfway up a mountain not even a minute later.

"Look at that view!" Wally admired it as Wonder Woman stood beside him.

"Achieved due to being high up."

She was clearly teasing him and Wally couldn't help the tilt of his hips and the equally teasing expression. "Yeah but my feet are still touching the ground!"

"Touché."

Laughing somewhat, Wally turned back to the landscape when he noticed the giant bird wings ahead. "Hey, is that Hawkgirl?"

Wonder Woman must have seen her as well and nodded. "Yes."

They waited as she came closer and landed a bit behind them, the giant wings tucked close to her back. It was kind of drawing his attention to them. He would have liked to pet them but...she seemed like she would punch him if he tried.

Her gaze initially snapped to him. "Who's that?" Her stance wasn't that relaxed and he was suddenly aware of the maze on her hip. That thing looked as if it could hurt.

Yeah, she would definitely punch him.

Wally cleared his throat but Wonder Woman took over. "That's Flash. I met him along the way and he was searching for you. He poses no harm." Did she think that because he was the Flash or because she thought him to be harmless? Either way it seemed to have its intended effect since Hawkgirl relaxed somewhat.

Wally gave her a nervous smile, waving his hand somewhat. "Hey."

"Searching for me?" She asked confused but stepped closer to them.

"Yes! I've come with an idea. A proposition?" God this wasn't any easier than with Supes but he doubted he could convince both of them to some fries right now. "Batman wants to form a group of various heroes. For cases when..you know, big stuff is going down."

Wonder Woman nodded along with that. "Batman told me the same. I like the idea."

Now that was something he liked to hear. Someone who supported this just as he did!

"Who are the other's?" Hawkgirl asked curiously, her wings perking up.

That was...just cute. If he'd liked his hands a bit less he might have asked to pet them for real.

"Well, obviously me and Batman. The rest, including you, can still decide to join or not. We're planning a meet up on the weekend. There you'll see who we asked and who decides to take it into consideration." Wally was aware that he hadn't really replied to her question but he didn't want to name the others if they might not even show up. So he held out a comm unit for her to take.

She seemed to think about taking it or not, briefly glancing to Wonder Woman. She took it after a few seconds and Wally smiled brightly at her.

"Great!" He clapped his hands together, excitement coursing through him. "With that we've asked everyone! I'll be glad to see you both next time."

Both women exchanged a look but did smile at him.

"I'll leave you to it then. Have a nice day." With that he meant to take his leave when a distant rumble caught their attention. All three turned towards one direction.

Three meteors were entering Earth's atmosphere, burning brightly. It was quite the sight. And not supposed to happen. The News hadn't mentioned this at all.

One was going to come down closer to them than the other two. Those vanished behind the horizon.

The one coming for them seemed to be gigantic, bigger than it had first appeared to be. It was still far away when it flew over their heads, yet Wally could feel the heat.

"It's going down near a city!"

Wally wanted to agree with Hawkgirl but he suspected that the meteor would actually crash _into_ a city.

Already vibrating, Wally was ready to leave these two behind and check out the area. People would need help.

" _Flash."_

His hand was immediately on the earpiece of his suit. "We saw it. Three meteors. We were about to check it out."

" _One went down in Metropolis. In the middle of it. Leave Paris to Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman and see if Superman needs help."_

He wasn't even going to ask how Bruce knew that Wonder Woman was still here. It most likely wasn't a wild guess.

"And the third one?" Wally could feel both women's eyes on him.

" _It didn't go down somewhere populated. I'll join you as soon as I can."_

"Alright. Until then." Wally ended the call and turned to Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl. "Batman asked me to check if Supes needs some help. One of those things went down in Metropolis. The one we saw go down in Paris-"

"No problem," Hawkgirl cut in. "We'll check it out."

"Great," he smiled somewhat. "Just..tap the comm unit if you need something. Everyone should hear it so better say who you want to talk to first." It wasn't very refined yet, seeing how only Bruce and him had had a need for it. Until now.

Giving a mock salute, Wally zipped away, treading water seconds later.

Funny how life worked. He had meant to find Supes today anyway, as he had forgotten to give him a comm unit to stay in contact and now...now something big had happened. What were the odds?


	5. Martian Manhunter

Chaos was everywhere as Wally came to the crash site. People were screaming or crying and there were these...strange things walking around. Long metallic legs and what seemed to be a cockpit - body? - on top of them. They - it? - walked around and seemed to attack everything that moved with a weird energy beam.

"Supes?" Flash called out and looked around as the other _had_ to be here somewhere. Maybe if he went on a roof again? Of course he would be busy but he still needed to find him.

Zipping around, Wally pulled one pedestrian out of the danger zone before he went to the nearest roof. Up here he could see the damaged buildings. Even the meteorite! It seemed to have crashed through a park before coming to a rest in the middle of a street. The smell of burning wood and rubble was in the air.

"Superman!" He called louder than before, turning in a circle to see if anyone was flying toward him.

He was about to call once more when he saw Superman heading to his roof. The other turned around, shooting his own laser beam towards the attackers. After that he turned back to Wally and landed before him.

"I know, just take this," said Wally before the other could even complain. He handed the communicator over and pointed to his own ear. "Put it in. That way you can hear us all. Perfect! Alright. Where can I help the best."

Superman had been here from the beginning. He knew what was going on since the meteor came down.

"People are still trapped around the crash zone," Superman said and tilted his head to the side as if he was listening to something. He started to float too. "Over there," Supes pointed out. "I'll see about the people trapped under the heavier things."

"Got it!" About to step away, Wally startled when Superman grabbed his wrist.

"Watch out for these things. I tried drawing their attention before but they either don't care or have a backup plan. I destroyed a few but it was difficult"

Wally nodded as Supes let go of his arm and gave a mock salute before heading to the people he had mentioned.

He spotted them quickly and helped to remove the debris though his mind was on these creatures. If Superman had troubles dealing with them then what could they do? If the strongest being on the planet couldn't destroy them then...what was their plan?

Helping the civilians out of the building, Wally picked one of them up and brought them farther away. When he was done repeating this twice, he kept his eyes open for others.

Though...maybe he could be the distraction for now. He couldn't damage or hurt them but he was still the fastest man alive. If _he_ couldn't pose an annoying distraction, then who could?

So he grabbed a stone and threw it at them while tapping his communicator. "Hey Bats," he called while changing his position while flinging stones or other things at those beings. It worked after the fifth throw and they turned to him.

Not that Wally worried much.

" _Listening."_

"Metropolis looks bad. There's chaos and even Supes has problems with those attackers. Oh yeah. Sorry. It seems to be an attack and not an unlucky meteor shower." Wally was quite aware that the others, even Supes, could hear him but Bruce needed an update. And they needed a plan.

" _It's the same in Paris,"_ said Wonder Woman all of the sudden. Which meant this was some kind of invasion. Aliens were attacking them?

" _I know. The other places look the same. I'm currently en route to you- to Metropolis. We need to regroup."_ Tense silence followed after that, Wally easily dodging the attack of these things. But he couldn't do that forever.

" _We're not leaving_ ," Hawkgirl seethed as if Bruce had personally attacked her.

" _I'm not asking you to. I'll meet with Flash and Superman. We will tell you if we find anything that can help. Batman out."_ Bruce replied as neutral as ever.

Alright. So Bruce was on his way. Great.

Skidding behind a collapsed wall, Wally took the chance to catch his breath. He was far from being tired but even with keeping safely away from these laser beams, he could still feel the scorching heat. Heck, he even broke out into a faint sheen of sweat.

And there was this pressure behind his eyes. Which was weird. This couldn't be one of his headaches. They never started this slowly. They rather showed up and were gone again before Wally even knew he had fallen over.

But the pressure was here and so were his enemies. He'd deal.

He massaged the space between his eyes and groaned before looking determined around the corner of his little hideout. There were two of these things but he wasn't sure if they were searching for him or just shooting things because it was fun.

Had they chased him even to begin with or just tried to swat him away?

In the end it didn't matter. What mattered was that he needed an idea to stop or at least hinder these things.

Well...they did have long weird legs. Maybe if he got some rope? Grinning somewhat, which turned into a grimace due to the pressure in his head, Wally speeded away to get the required rope.

Seconds later he was back, zipping in between the legs of one of the invaders and made sure to tangle and tie the rope around the three legs. And then he pulled.

The invader fell down after Wally threw his entire weight against the pull of the rope. It had tied up more and more, which had resulted in the fall.

Coming out victorious, he grinned. And blinked.

Weird.

His vision was getting all wonky and-

The pain was back, his head was splitting apart again. For real this time. Taking a step forward, Wally didn't see the other invader swinging the front leg towards him until it collided with his chest.

The force threw him back against and through a wall. There he came to lie on the ground. His chest and back aching. The headache slowly stopped then and he could start to take stock of his injuries. That is if he could breathe.

There was a sharp pain and an uncomfortable feeling. Wally wasn't too familiar with it but he was pretty sure one or two of his ribs were broken. What he couldn't tell was if his lungs got pierced too.

"Bats," Wally wheezed into the comm. "Got hurt," he breathed through the pain.

" _Don't move. I'm already in Metropolis."_ Gone was the neutral voice of the other, urgency clearly in it.

'Ugh…," Wally meant to reply but a man was kneeling down next to him. He was black. No hair. A kind of handsome face.

"I apologize. This wasn't my intention," said the man and placed a hand on Wally's chest, to which Wally replied in trying to scoot away.

Pain immediately flared up in his chest and he gurgled a wet cough.

"Don't be afraid," the man said and stared at Wally's face. "I can help you. After that I'll explain everything."

Then the man's hand turned see through to the point of where Wally couldn't see it anymore. And then he moved it _into_ Wally's chest.

All he could do was stare at the hand. He barely registered Batman coming to kneel beside him and talking. The ringing in his head the only thing he heard as he could _feel_ the fingers on _his bones_.

A weird feeling went through his chest, one he vaguely registered as pain, and then he could breathe easier. The man, he had..he had corrected his ribs?!

The hand was removed and became seeable again. Thought Wally kept staring at it, his face having gone paler each second.

Someone else placed a hand on Wally's cheek and turned his head. "Breathe Flash. In and out. Slowly, it's going to start healing now," Batman said as a weak shiver started to take a hold of him. His lips felt dry.

"His..his hand," Wally stammered out, staring at the blank lenses of Bruce's cowl.

"I know-"

"His hand was in my chest."

"I _saw_."

"I…," the small circles Bruce's thumb drew did nothing to elevate the new feeling in his chest and stomach. He meant to open his mouth again when he swallowed heavily. The pressure was rising and breathing was strange. Different than before. The pressure strayed from his stomach upwards. Into his throat and-

Wally made a soft noise between a gurgle and a whine as Bruce expertly turned him to the side while supporting his torso.

Suddenly heaving, Wally threw up some bloody slime, which soon turned into a wet cough as his lungs got rid of anything that had gotten in there.

"A pierced lung," Bruce provided as he gently rubbed the place between Wally's shoulders.

Wally only continued to cough, without anything coming up. His chest still hurt but at least the pressure was gone.

Taking big breaths Bruce slowly lied him on his back again, actually stroking his head over the cowl.

Wally weakly glanced at Bruce before looking at the man. "Sorry," he murmured after that embarrassing episode of a...well..it probably was some kind of emotional attack.

"No apologies needed. It is I who needs to apologize," the man replied and nodded at Wally. "I am the cause of your..headaches. But I promise I did not mean it."

"Explain," snapped Bruce, his hand still providing support to Wally.

The man looked at Bruce far longer than necessary before nodding once more. "Of course. I am not from here," he said as his form suddenly seemed to shift and change. His skin turning green as the shape of his head became longer, his clothes vanishing except for some kind of dark suit and a cape. "I am J'onn J'onnz. I came to Earth to warn the humans about the incoming attack but no one would listen."

Of course. A human rambling about aliens? As if it hadn't been done before. As if Superman wasn't Earth's champion.

But Wally just blinked as he waited for the real explanation.

"In my desperation I tried to call out to an open mind," J'onn said as he placed a hand on Wally's shoulder. To show that he meant him.

Not that Bruce seemed to appreciate it much, if his frown was anything to go by.

"My mind sought out yours and I tried to contact you."

"Once a day," Wally added as things started to make a bit more sense.

"Yes," the other agreed. "However I didn't notice that your mind is different. It is...faster. All I did was brush against it and my attempt to communicate with you must have translated as an attack. Once more I want to apologize."

"It's okay, you didn't mean to."

"What did you want to tell him?"

Both spoke at the same time, Bruce less forgiving than Wally.

J'onn looked between the both of them before focusing on Bruce. "I meant to warn him of the oncoming attack. Provide information on what I know about these..creatures."

"How do we know you're not one of them?" Of course. What else would Bruce accuse the nice alien off? After said alien had kind of fixed Wally's ribs.

In an attempt to keep the other calm Wally placed the hand closest to Bruce on the gauntlet of the arm that was still placed on his head. But he didn't say anything in case Bruce was right.

And then a loud, whirring whine sounded over the entire area and J'onn' head snapped towards the hole Wally had made with his impact. "It begins."

The growl Bruce emitted was almost drowned out due to the climbing intensity of the noise. "What begins?!"

Just when Wally thought he wouldn't be able to handle the noise anymore, when he couldn't hear his own voice in his head, a loud _clunk_ traveled through the air and the noise became bearable. Mechanical.

Something was happening.

J'onn turned back to both but spoke to Wally. "If you let me in then I can explain everything better. I can _show_ you. Prove that I am trustworthy." He almost sounded desperate. And he probably was, whatever his story was.

Nodding, Wally could do that. Listen and watch. He could slow his thoughts down if that had been the problem.

"No," Bruce said in a cold voice. "You will show _me_."

The next few seconds felt intense and Wally was glad that his ribs still felt tender and unstable and that he was allowed to look uncomfortable. There was no way that he could've remained silent otherwise. He couldn't even think of a fitting joke to elevate the tension.

Until J'onn tipped his head and angled his body toward Bruce. "Do not be alarmed, I promise not to hurt you," he said as his eyes started to glow. Which looked rather cool.

Almost like Superman, when he used his eye laser. Only less intense.

A quick glance showed that Bruce was just...staring ahead. Seeing things Wally couldn't. He was kind of curious how that felt. Without a head splitting headache to go with that.

The glow in J'onn's eyes soon vanished and Bruce blinked a few times, looking kind of more at ease and yet more tense.

How was that possible?

Bruce activates the communicator before Wally could ask what he had seen.

"Batman here. We need to regroup. I have new information and..a new ally. We meet outside of Metropolis. To the North."

It was strange hearing Bruce in his ear and beside him at once since they had never used the comms so close to each other.

" _We're_ _on our way. Green Lantern is here too. We also have new information,"_ Wonder Woman responded seriously. Whatever they had found - probably not another friendly alien that fixed ribs - must've been important as well.

"Good," was all Bruce said and closed the communication looking at J'onn and then at Wally.

"You're flying with me and you-"

"Will follow," agreed J'onn as if they were suddenly bffs that finished each other sentences. Weird. If Bruce looked at his best friend like that...then Wally didn't want to know how he looked at his enemies.

Maybe it was time to butt in.

"I can run," he said from the floor, attempting to lift himself up on one elbow. If he went _slow_ enough then-

"Stand up," Bruce commanded and offered the hand that had previously comforted him.

He took it without hesitation and, with some help from his boyfriend, stood up. Only to have to brace himself on his knees. His ribs were still kind of bitchy and would remain that way for a few hours.

God, he was basically the weak link.

"You're flying with me," Bruce repeated and gently grabbed Wally's wrist. At least he didn't whisk him off like a victim he had saved.

"Fine," Wally said and let Bruce lead him out of the rubble, to where the Batwing was most likely parked.

The first thing he noticed when he stepped out from the hole he had made was that the air felt _oppressive_. His lungs ached just from feeling it against his skin. And he would breath that in?! Confused he looked up and saw that the sky was blocked out by what seemed to be heavy smoke.

No wonder it felt that heavy.

"What..," he began but Bruce gently dragged him along.

"That's what J'onn meant," Bruce explained. "They're blocking out the sun. They start like this everywhere they go."

That...that couldn't be a good thing. _Everywhere they went_? Had no one ever stopped them? Where they doomed?

Almost tripping over a stone, Bruce easily kept Wally upright and simply lifted him up and placed him in the backseat of the Batwing, standing over him. "Everything alright?"

"I...do we..do we have a plan?" Bruce always had one. He had plans in case a plan failed. He had to.

But Bruce just leaned down and kissed Wally before turning around and sitting down as well, closing the cockpit above them. "We'll be alright," he murmured towards the back as Wally could feel the jet starting to take off.


	6. Invaders

It was quiet inside the jet, safe for the muffled sound of the engine, as they flew high over Metropolis. J'onn was a steady presence beside it, sometimes popping into view, depending on his flight path.

His ribs were still aching faintly so he sat slumped sideways, as far as the safety belt allowed it, in his seat.

"So..," Wally began to catch Bruce's attention. "What did J'onn show you?" He could have seen it. Should have really, as the alien had chosen to contact him.

"I'll explain it when we meet the others."

Wally meant to cross his arms in a petulant way but soon discovered it to be a bad idea because of his ribs. Bruce wouldn't have seen it anyway. Instead he huffed, hoping that Bruce could hear him.

"What, are you guys best friends now? He wanted to talk to me." It was stupid. The world was apparently being invaded and he played the part of a petty child. He should have just stayed silent.

"..that's why I don't like him." Bruce sounded reluctant.

Was he…"Are you _jealous?"_ Now that was...that was alright. Because Wally had been slightly worried for real a second ago. Bruce didn't do chummy with people after five seconds. Weird Vulcan mind meld or not.

"No."

"You are! Aw Bats, don't worry," Wally smiled. If only these seats weren't practically sewn into the jet, then he might have hugged Bruce from behind. Instead he had to stay vocal. "I love you, not him."

Bruce seemingly didn't react. Well, maybe his mouth thinned in displeasure (for being found out) or curled up in a pleased smile? It was difficult to tell by staring at the back rest in front of him.

Instead the jet tilted softly to the side and Wally could feel the stabilizers activating as they landed wherever they've gone.

The landing was smooth as ever and Bruce was the first one standing up and getting out. Once up he turned to Wally and took one of Wally's arms and wound his own around Wally's torso. Then he was being pulled up and out of the jet. "Thanks."

Bruce nodded and set him down on the ground beside him, giving a reassuring squeeze to his shoulder.

J'onn landed next to Wally but stared up, which prompted him to look up as well. The others, except Superman, were closing in as well.

It was really strange to see so many floating people around. Before he had known Bruce, he had only ever seen Supes fly past Central once. Now he was in the middle of these...awesome people. And his ribs were still healing. A great first impression for their first real get together.

All of this should have gone differently.

"Where is Superman?" Green Lantern asked into their round.

"On his way." How Bruce knew that was beyond Wally. Maybe he just speculated and hoped for the best. Hardly the other's style but life was full of surprises.

"Everyone, this is J'onn. A Martian," Bruce introduced their newest alien ally. "He has encountered these... _parasites_ before."

"We used to call them White Martians," J'onn briefly explained. "They aren't from Mars but tend to assimilate the beings they conquer and as such took on similar features to a Martian….and our abilities."

So parasites wasn't that bad of a word.

"Your abilities?" Came from above as Superman came to land between Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl, greeting everyone with a serious nod. Metropolis must be bad off.

"Telepathy," J'onn counted off. "Invisibility, shape shifting and phasing through...everything." He looked at Wally for a moment as he mentioned the last one. "They have assimilated those abilities as well and have been imitating your leaders a while now. Just as they have done with Mars."

"The weapons…," Wally murmured and glanced at Bruce, to see if the other too had thought about it. Only that everyone was looking at him, waiting for him to go on. "Ah..uhh," he cleared his throat, suddenly nervous. Bruce usually understood what his ramblings meant.

Or knew when they weren't important.

"The news, do you remember?" Wally asked in Bruce's direction. "They were talking about getting rid of weapons. We found it strange but.."

"No one shot at the meteorite," Bruce agreed. Meteorites this size would have been seen long before they hit Earth. And probably shot down. "Flash is right," Bruce turned to the others. "They must have been here for some time then."

"What do we do?" Hawkgirl asked, her wings ruffled and twitching while she held her maze.

"What did you find?" Bruce asked into the round.

Wonder Woman spoke up. "They dislike sunlight. We actually got through the wall before the smoke started. They fled into the shadows before they managed to get us out again."

Grim information. If Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl and Green Lantern combined couldn't do anything to them, if all of them together meant nothing. Then what could they do? Wally had fought many battles but none like this.

Tense silence filled the group, everyone probably having reached the same conclusion. If none of them had a good plan then...then what? Dread filled Wally's stomach and...he couldn't stand this. If they were going down, then with a mood.

"So they're like vampires?" He asked into the round, earning him startled and reprimanding looks. Bruce might have sighed but he was too sneaky about it.

"J'onn showed me what happened on Mars a long time ago," Bruce began. _Finally_. "They paralyzed them with a gas, made from a Martian plant."

"Yes," nodded J'onn. "But this plant doesn't exist anymore, nothing on Mars does…." J'onn trailed of, his eyes taking on a longing look. To think Earth was going to end up the same…

Wally glanced at Bruce for an answer, some kind of solution. But all that followed was more bad news.

"Unfortunately, nothing on Earth can imitate the plant. I suggest we split up. I need to look inside of one of the meteorites. I need more information on what happens in there." Bruce still sounded like he had a plan, even when he didn't have one. "You broke into the one in Paris?" He directed the question to Wonder Woman.

She nodded but Hawkgirl lifted her maze. "Yes. It was difficult but we could force our way through."

"Do you think it's still there? The hole?"

"I suppose…"

Bruce nodded and looked at each of them one after another. "J'onn and Wonder Woman. We will go to Paris and see what we can find. The rest of you will stay here and try to contain the damage. This one seems like the biggest of these rocks or ships." He must have sensed that Wally wanted to protest and go with him because he couldn't even speak up. "Your ribs are still in the process of healing. I need you here helping out."

He needed Wally safe is what he meant to say, Wally knew. But Wally too wanted Bruce to be safe and right now? Right now, nowhere was safe.

Was it macabre that he wanted to go down with Bruce beside him?

With a defeated sigh Wally nodded. "Fine."

The others watched this with interest but snapped their eyes to Bruce when he turned to the Batwing. "Let's move out," he declared with no room to protest.

Probably because no one had any other ideas.

Wally looked at the other three staying with him, Supes, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. They briefly watched the Batwing take off before Superman made the first move to fly back to Metropolis. They followed without a word.

Wally was the first one in the city as he hadn't slowed down for the others.

People were still running and hiding and panicking.

Rolling his shoulders, he too felt kind of closer to nervousness than he would have liked, and started to move. Right now, the only real help the Flash could provide was to get people away.

After taking the third person to the outskirts of the city Wally noticed a military checkpoint. So they weren't completely out of the loop. Yet.

The next person he brought with him he directly placed at the checkpoint. There he briefly met the eyes of a soldier. He nodded at him and the other did the same. Perfect.

They'd see to these people to the best of their abilities.

At least he hoped so.

It was fairly easy to continue this pattern as the invaders were stupidly slow compared to him. Whenever they did shoot at him he was gone by the time the projectile met its mark.

After a while of doing this Wally came by Green Lantern who was fighting off three of these things while shielding two civilians.

"Lower the shield, I will get them out!" Wally called from the other side of the battlefield. He would have liked to knock on the shield for emphasis but wasn't sure if it was made to hurt as well.

But he didn't have to wait long. Green Lantern glanced at him and opened part of the shield. Wally rushed in and snatched the first civilian and murmured reassurances before zipping away.

The shield collapsed when he came back for the second person. He didn't linger to see what had happened as he whisked the woman away.

After that he could focus on helping Green Lantern.

Wally didn't want to call out, since he didn't want more attention of them but...where had the other gone? Looking around, Wally went on some rubble for higher ground to see more.

"Flash!" There. Lantern had gotten behind a wall into some..goo.

"Ew, what's that?!" Wally scoffed weirded out as he stopped right at the edge of it. It was pastel yellow and sticky, judging by the way it clung to Lantern.

"I don't wanna know," Lantern replied as he held out one hand, his other limbs stuck in the goo, toward Wally.

He barely reached it without falling into the thing itself. "Can't you just..ugh," Wally wheezed as he finally got a firm hold on the other's hand and pulled. "Use your ring?" He finished as Lantern came a bit closer to the edge and Wally could grab his whole arm.

Lantern didn't reply as they both struggled to get him out.

He was pretty sure they would have made it in the next _century_ or so when Superman descended from above and simply grabbed Lantern by the shoulders and placed him beside Wally. Just like that.

"Something happened," said Supes and nodded toward the crash site. "The noises inside of that thing changed. It can't mean anything good."

What else could be in store? Killer robots (he decided it had to be either giant aliens or vehicles and the latter made him less uncomfortable) and smoke that blocked out the sun wasn't enough? Wally really wanted to tell Bruce. He could just hope that his boyfriend didn't experience whatever happened here as well. While being _in_ such a thing.

"Maybe we-" Wally didn't get far as Wonder Woman butted in over the com.

"We're on the way back. We need to reconvene. Stay put and wait for us."

Supes glanced strangely at Wally before he said "Understood."

Why had Supes looked at him like that? And why hadn't Bruce said that they were coming, it was his com system after all.

Maybe it got damaged?

Frowning at the lack of information, Wally with Lantern at his side, moved to the side where a building had collapsed. They were practically hiding for now. Somehow Hawkgirl had found them while they moved into the ruins and remained with them. She looked as frustrated as he felt.

Sighing, Wally remained at the edge of their hiding spot, glanced out and just...looked. There was chaos and death. People were dying out there. Had probably died already. And what could they do?

Nothing.

Unsatisfied he turned back and joined the other's, nervously waiting for some good news.

They didn't need to wait too long as Wonder Woman and J'onn soon landed close to them. Bruce must have tracked the communicators.

Glanced from both of them up into the sky, Wally searched for the well-known shape of Batwing. Or the sound of the jet engines. He must be running late.

With an uneasy stomach he looked into the group and then at J'onn. "Bats is running late for once?" He faked his enthusiasm. As if it were an inside joke.

Bruce could be anywhere.

J'onn met his stare, his face carefully blank.

No.

"I'm sorry," J'onn said.

 _No._


	7. Justice League

_**Sorry, there went something wrong with the formating and while it looks fine in the manager it doesn't in the ff itself. I tried to fix it and I hope it will soon return to how it should look (at the most I'll be able to correct it on the weekend as I don't have my PC)**_

* * *

Bruce was...was dead? He was...he did…

Wally hadn't even said goodbye. There had been no grand speech as to why he would die. He was just...gone. Like that.

Just like that.

He knew he was staring at J'onn, his eyes were, but he wasn't really seeing. There was no air in his lungs and he felt cold all over and Bruce was gone.

Swallowing thickly, his mind raced and felt sluggish at the same time. It caused a headache while his heart hurt in a different manner. Was his stomach cramping?

He vaguely registered the others but couldn't tell what they were doing or saying. They could have left him behind for all he cared.

Bruce had been left behind too, hadn't he?

There was a bitter taste in his mouth and he...what should he do?

"Flash."

He needed to tell Alfred. God.. Alfred.

"Flash!"

Alfred would be devastated. Gotham would be devastated. What would they tell the city? Would he be allowed at the funeral? They hadn't made it offi-

"Flash!" Green Lanterns voice finally catched his attention and he stared at the mocking green mask. Why wasn't Hal here?

Everyone left…

"You need to get it together." Lantern sounded like a general. Wally wished he had looked at the others secret identity when Bruce had found out about it. But he had wanted to be respectful.

Supes stepped closer to Wally but looked at Lantern. "Hey," he simply said, his tone conveying something to Lantern. Did he encourage the space policeman or did he come to Wally's aid?

"We don't have the time," hissed Lantern and glanced in the direction of where they knew the meteorite facility was working away.

Bruce had died in one of those…

"Just-" Supes started but Wally didn't give him the time to finish the sentence.

"I'm fine," he butted in. "It's not the first time." Would the bitter taste ever leave his mouth? "It only took me a year last time. I can do it in...in seconds." Air left him with his last word. His shoulders felt heavy. Burdened somehow.

He'd have to take Gotham now too. For Bruce.

Where his hands shaking or vibrating?

Feeling the concerned eyes of the others on him, Wally closed his eyes and tried to just..be. People needed them. Earth did. Bruce had died for this.

One giant vibration moved through his body and Wally imagined that he was rearranging his molecules. That he was leaving the grief and sadness right in these ruins. Just for a little while.

It didn't work but he could pretend.

He opened his eyes and glanced from one hero to the other, the last one being Lantern.

It seemed to signal something because they were all standing in a circle now, looking at Wonder Woman and J'onn.

The Martian looked through the group as well before starting to speak. "Before Batman…saved us we discovered that these facilities have one energy source and the lesser ones are linked to the main one." He looked briefly over their heads, to were the Metropolis meteorite was. It had to be the main one then.

"It stands to reason that if we were to shut down the main one, that it will all shut down," J'onn continued.

Wonder Woman nodded, as if to tell them that it was the truth. "I believe together we can do it," she added in a strong voice. She wasn't just saying that because she needed to. She really seemed to believe they had a chance.

And really, what else could they do but try? The world would go down without them trying anyway.

Wally was the first to speak up and if his voice was a little bit rough, then no one commented on it. "How do we do it? Just..charge?"

"Right now!" Hawkgirl demanded, maze in hand and blazing eyes. She truly was an avenging angel wasn't she?

Superman drew in air but...deflated and looked at J'onn again. Waiting for his opinion like all of them.

"Right now'" he confirmed with a nod and turned to Wally. "Would you provide a distraction and join us as soon as we're inside?"

Of course he could. His speed meant he was the ultimate distraction and yet…Bruce had never put him on the sidelines so much. Well..he usually didn't have bruised ribs either, he shouldn't be this harsh.

A hand was placed on his shoulder and he looked at Supes. "I can help you if you want. I'm fast too."

No. They'd need Supes' strength to make it easier inside. The others efforts would be meaningless, even after they made it inside it wouldn't be fast enough, without the aided strength.

"Nah," Wally smiled crooked. "I'm faster. I got this," he promised with a nod and turned back to the group. "Now?"

A simple nod from J'onn was enough and Wally was gone, attacking the facility with words rather than fists. The enemy immediately zeroed in on him and he made sure to gently, slowly draw them away.

This wasn't too different to the way he had worked with Bruce. But he could still feel the difference. The way he always used to work in a two man team. Barry. Hal. Bruce. All gone..

And now there was a whole group of them and no one knew who was in charge. Who to follow. He would have followed Bruce everywhere.

Blinking, he shouted a few more insults - not that the enemy understood them? - and was just annoying enough not to be ignored.

A few of the energy beams came dangerously close and warmed his skin but it wasn't enough to actually burn. His body worked overtime in healing whatever heat damage he had received.

God he was hungry. And sad. Devastated, really.

For just a mere fraction of a second, something only he as a speedster experienced, Wally considered letting himself get hit. But it wouldn't be fair. There was still a chance. Still some tiny sliver of hope they could hold onto. Had to.

Dodging again, he wondered how the others were doing when his communicator beeped.

"Now Flash," said Lantern in a hushed voice, probably trying not to give away what they were doing.

Saluting the enemy - those things still didn't have eyes or a reaction or anything - Wally left them there and went back to the facility.

Finding the hole wasn't difficult and he slipped inside, coming to a slow jog as he joined the others. He nodded at them and they at him and everyone started to move, following their Martian.

They were quiet as they moved deeper into the facility. A low rumbling over their heads was an ever present noise. The wall a strangely fleshy color, interloped with red and orange.

In all honesty, it looked like someone was high when creating this.

The wall started out smooth when they went into this thing but after a while and a few corners in there were bumps appearing on it. Like oversized air pockets. At first Wally didn't think anything of it but the farther they came the more see through they became. Soon enough, he could make out people in them.

He meant to inform the others but Wonder Woman beat him to it. "People!" She exclaimed and moved closer to one of them. She was about to open it up when J'onn stopped her by touching her wrist.

"If you do this now, then they will know we're here." He sounded sorry about it. A small solace.

"What...what's happening to them? " Wally asked as he looked at another bubble with a woman inside.

"They assimilate them," J'onn explained as he too looked at one of them. "If they are useful enough. And if not…"

"What then?" Lantern demanded.

"Fuel."

Grave silence followed and no one really looked at anyone. At least not that Wally could tell.

"Come," J'onn turned away and started walking again. "We must go if we want to free them. But not now."

Wally's feet were heavy as he followed the other's. It hurt, knowing they could free them but weren't allowed to. Some of them were going to die while they tried their best to stop this thing.

No one spoke, just like before, but this time it was different. There was a different energy among them. Tense and thick. And what would they do once they reached their target?

They turned a corner and walked through something that could only be a doorway as said doorway suddenly vanished behind them. Startled, Wally stared at it before turning to the others. They too had noticed it and meant to press forward when there too the path vanished.

"A trap!" J'onn and Superman said at the same time as a faint hissing noise appeared. Soon enough Wally could see that there was yellow gas being let into the room as Superman geared back to force their way out. Stepping back, Wally thought about vibrating through the wall as sharp, electric energy traveled from the ground into his body.

He was faintly aware that he and the others were screaming and dropping one after the other. There, on the floor, Wally registered that moving was getting difficult. Everything felt sluggish and weird.

"Supes," he called out uselessly but received no answer. The others were already out cold or paralyzed.

For some reason the idea that J'onn could have led them there into a trap crossed his mind. But the world turned black before he could focus on it.

.

.

Sharp pain raced through his veins as awareness returned. His muscles were cramping and tensing, trying to curl up in a certain way they weren't allowed to due to the constraints on his wrists and ankles. The pressure on his wrists was enormous and it felt like hanging somewhere even when he could feel something in his back.

Gritting his teeth, another shout was torn from him when the pain finally stopped. Exhausted, he let his weight fall into the wrist restraints and just hung there. His eyes felt heavy and it took way too much effort to open them.

"Sorry, sorry," he could hear a muffled voice say and tried to focus on that. "Don't try to free yourself."

Confused, he finally made his eyes focus enough and took everything in. He really was lying on some kind of platform but it was propped up vertical enough to let his wrists take the brunt of his weight.

To his right the others were bound the same way, all of them already awake. Had he been the last one? Strange. He usually worked through any drugs faster than anyone else. Was his body that tired?

His erratic heartbeat normalizing somewhat, Wally didn't even try to pull at the restraints.

Instead he looked around. There was a giant plateau in front of him. Maybe five to ten meters away. On it were some strange people. White and almost translucent with dark spots in them. Their humanoid form close enough but also…wobbling. That's how Wally would describe it. Were those the invaders? He somehow pictured them closer to J'onn's appearance.

Why would they call them White Martians if they didn't look similar?

"J'onn J'onzz," echoed a voice in the giant room and in his head. His headache returned immediately.

A giant…white Martian walked up to them. On the plateau, only that it didn't look like the others at all. It was more like a ball of fluid, walking on four sticks that it used as feet. This was truly alien.

"Our eternal guardian and keeper. Look at you." Wally and the others did look from that thing to J'onn and back again and he felt bad for suspecting J'onn of treason for even a millisecond. "It's time that you joined your people."

J'onn wore a stoic face through the little speech, apparently not reacting at all as some kind of force lifted him up and away from their platform and closer to that thing.

"No last words?" J'onn was now hovering right in front of what might have posed as a face of that thing.

"No. Not for you," J'onn snapped back in calm anger. The dangerous kind.

So this is how they would go down. With brave expressions on their faces, Wally could see it with the others as well. They had tried. And they had lost.

"Very well," agreed the giant thing and J'onn floated closer to it. And closer. Until he got pushed into the giant bubble that was its body and Wally could still see him. J'onn was in there, twitching and curling up. Only to stretch out again.

"Cease resisting. It will do nothing for you."

"Never!" Came the Martians shout, as telepathic as the giants voice was.

If J'onn could…could do what? Overpower the giant? Yes, if he could do that, maybe then..then they could be freed and fight back. But restraint like this?

Wally had never felt so useless before. All he could do was grit his teeth at seeing his newest ally get practically digested.

J'onn screamed in pain at some point, the building shaking along and Wally wondered if it was him or the giant who was doing this. Who could shake a whole building telepathically? It must be the giant.

The shaking continued and…cracks started to appear on the walls while the White Martians were looking kind of anxious. It was difficult to tell without any real faces but their energy was nervous to Wally's eyes.

"NOW!" Shouted J'onn at..who exactly? Had one of them made a backup plan with him?

The shaking turned to a deep vibration and Wally could feel the structure getting weak. And yet…one of the other's had yet to do something. So J'onn couldn't have meant one of them.

Was he supposed to do something? Because no one had told him anything. He was sure he hadn't zoned out during any important plan meeting.

The giant with J'onn in him started to convulse and tense as if J'onn was a particularly difficult meal to digest (and that thing was digesting him right? What else could it have been?). It must have wanted to say more but an explosion somewhere off behind them caused everything to shake very differently.

This building was coming down.

Maybe they should attempt freeing themselves again. This whole building was obviously malfunctioning and it might play into their hands and-

Three black things flew through the air, creating a soft swirling noise Wally was all too familiar with, and lodged itselves into the giant. "Wha-"

Their restraints opened, causing the five of them to slide down their platform. Well, Wally was the one sliding down and rolling away as the other's took to flight immediately.

But Wally didn't mind. His thoughts circled around the Batarangs which meant either Alfred had come to their aid (unlikely) or someone was very alive despite all odds (likely). He could feel his heartbeat in his throat as he zipped away from where he was and up the platform where he just arrived to see the Batarangs explode and free J'onn.

The giant screamed and stumbled to the side, White Martians coming to its aid but not attacking them.

"What's happening?" Shouted Lantern over all the noise when all of them were close enough, no Batman in sight.

Wally wanted to tear the place down to see for himself.

"We manipulated the energy core," coughed J'onn as he slowly stood up, Supes helping him remain upright. No one asked who we was. "It is now doing the opposite to its intent. This facility will crumble and the people will get rejected."

Supes nodded and immediately looked at all of them. "Move. Get as many out as you can. I'll provide cover should they attack."

It was the best plan Wally had heard today and he got right down to it. Zipping through the building and gently getting people out. At first out of their bubbles, where he helped them sit down. After he had done so to a whole row of it he started to get them out of there.

The people were disoriented and easily got sick but Wally couldn't really go slower. He already had had to dodge rubble coming down. An upset stomach was probably better than dying anyway.

Hawkgirl flew beside him at his third row, getting the people out while he evacuated them which moved things along faster than before as well.

They did that without having talked about it once too. That was kinda cool. If things wouldn't have sucked so much.

Just when he lifted the second to last person up, Hawkgirl showed up beside him. "We need to get out," she barked in a manner that seemed entirely being her. "J'onn said the White Martians are retreating and Superman and Wonder Woman are pursuing them. This building is done," she informed him as she picked the last person up and flew beside Wally as he hadn't speed up. She was talking after all.

Once outside, Wally placed his charge on the ground and turned to watch the building emit a different kind of smoke.

The sky above it slowly cleared up and he could see a giant alien ship flying away with Superman and Wonder Woman behind it. He didn't know what they were going to do to it but he hoped it would make the White Martians think twice about returning.

Hawkgirl stood beside him, wings tucked in close as she watched as well. She probably wanted to be up there as well.

"Come," she suddenly said to him and jumped into the air. Wally glanced at the civilians behind him before he reluctantly followed. Maybe they were regrouping?

He followed her around the destroyed alien facility, a little through the city towards an almost intact building. There was a hole spanning over four floors on one side. But the roof was still there so…

God, there was so much cleaning up to do.

Up on the roof Hawkgirl landed beside J'onn and Lantern, both nodding at them. There they continued to watch Superman and Wonder Woman far far up in the sky. Wally could barely make them out anymore.

Smoke was billowing out of the alien ship as it drew further away and when he had trouble making that out as well both of their pursuing heroes came back to them. They found them easily and landed on the roof as well, tired expressions on their faces as everyone stood there.

They had done it.

"We did it," Wally echoed his thoughts. Well, the other's had.

What had he done besides running around?

Superman and Hawkgirl were the first to smile and Wally instinctively held out a hand for a high five. And Lantern actually high fived him.

He grinned like an idiot, anxious energy in his muscles as he slowly realized everything was over. It was over. They had saved everything.

The delightful smile on Superman's face fell however as he glanced over Wally's and Lantern's shoulders. J'onn too, turned in that direction.

Of course Wally would turn around as well.

His arms were around Bruce before he had actually realized that the other was standing a few steps behind him. To Wally's utter surprise Bruce hugged him too. There. In public. In front of everyone. And all he could do was just squeeze tighter, soft vibrations traveling through his muscles.

"J'onn masked my presence," Bruce explained exhausted. "We had to fool them."

"You're an asshole," Wally sobbed in relief and he could feel Bruce grunt.

"I know."

"You owe me ice cream."

"Of course." Bruce slightly pulled away and gave Wally's head a tiny kiss. "Anything."

"A whole room of it. One of your rooms, not mine."

"Yes," he agreed once more and placed his forehead against Wally's head.

Wally murmured asshole again, just to make sure that Bruce knew. Thought Bruce had to know that he felt bad about it as soon as the word left him. Cursing sucked.

"I knew it!"

Confused and curious, Wally barely pulled away from Bruce and glanced over his shoulder at Supes. Who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"I ah..sorry," continued Supes. "It's just..you're obvious. I suspected it but…yeah."

Wally flushed red as he let go of Bruce but the other held into his wrist and kept him close. To think Bruce was usually the one to stay away during the job.

Neither of them replied to Supes and awkward silence stretched between the seven of them. Their team. If they were going to stay like this.

There was only one way to find out.

"We need a name."

Bruce's grip on his arm tightened but…he also didn't say no to it. "No suggestions from you," he demanded.

The silence changed then and Wally was uncertain if the other's just didn't want to be part of this or if they were thinking about a name. This time however he wouldn't say anything. Apparently his name giving skills weren't good enough.

"How about..," began Supes and everyone looked at him. Eagerly. Except Bruce. "The Justice League. It has a nice ring to it?"

Wally's face lit up like a Christmas tree while Bruce's face darkened. Within a second Wally stood beside Supes patting him enthusiastically on the shoulder. "You and I are going to be such good friends!" It was clear that no one understood their reactions but the others accepted the name as well and Wally grinned from one ear to the other as he joined Bruce once more.

"I knew it's a great name!"

"I'm going back to Gotham."

"Oh no," Wally latched onto Bruce's arm as the others came to stand beside them to look at the city. There was still much to do but until then... "You're part of the Justice League now!"

* * *

 ** _That's it, we did it! The sequel is done and I had such a blast writing this last chapter!_**

 ** _I'd like to apologize that the story itself started kinda shitty in quality but once I figured out what my problem was, the quality rose once more._**


End file.
